Sick Day
by EagleWings21
Summary: Haruhi is sick, and Kyon has to deal with it. Future fic. Oneshot. Rated T for suggestive themes at times and mild swearing, just to be safe. Please read and leave a review! I'm always looking for feedback.


Haruhi gets sick, and Kyon has to deal with it. Future fic. Oneshot. I don't own the Haruhi Suzumiya series.

Enjoy!

* * *

Haruhi is sick.

As if I didn't have enough troubles on my own today, Haruhi just had to get sick. Something which I thought was next to impossible. I didn't even think she was capable of it! I mean, sure, she has her days when she seemed a little out of sorts or depressed.

But sick? No. Never. I was under the impression that she had the immunity of God Himself. But here we are, and guess who's taking care of her?

"Kyon, where's the food?!"

You guessed it. Yours truly.

I got up this morning, had some coffee, and got our son and daughter ready for school. My job at the sales firm has yet to start, so I have about a week to enjoy being home with my family. As you can imagine, being Haruhi's husband comes with demanding expectations; The cleaning and cooking schedules are tighter than my shoelaces when I tie them on too tight, and our family runs with more efficiency than that of the USS Zumwalt.

Don't even get me started on how our honeymoon was.

Anyway, while I know that Haruhi can be demanding and bossy at times, for as much as I complain about it; I love all of it. Though I'm always slow to admit it. I know that without Haruhi, my life wouldn't be nearly as exciting as it should be. She's become my anchor that keeps me calm in the storms and keeps me going when I feel like giving up.

So _that _is why when I trudged up the stairs to our bedroom with a tray of fresh food on it and opened the door to see Haruhi in bed, with a tissue box sitting next to her, I couldn't help but just to smile a little.

Haruhi sniffled and pouted even more when I put the breakfast in front of her. Her stuffy voice penetrated the air, "You're late. Penalty!"

I sighed. "Sorry, _your highness_. I was busy getting the kids ready for school and slaving over your breakfast." I leaned in and gave her a kiss on top of her head.

I saw the slightest break in her expression before she struggled to put on her best pouty face. "Oh, well…forgiven. But just this once! Your Brigade Leader demands that you attend to her constantly today! Otherwise, you'll pay for it!" I couldn't help but fantasize about what "punishment" she had in store for me. Maybe she'd wear that thing she bought for our anniversary again...

Just then, I found a firm slap on the back of my head as Haruhi caught me off guard drooling, "And _no_, not one of _those_ punishments." She turned and blushed. Why couldn't she be more like this? It was _almost_ like I had control over her for once.

"Oh, fine. Can't just let me have one, can you?" I leaned in and kissed her on the cheek as she stuffed a piece of toast in her mouth.

"Pweez, if I wet you win, it would jus go to yo head," she said through a stuffed mouth. She swallowed her toast and took a swig of orange juice and cleared her throat. "So, have you heard anything back from the firm yet?"

I shrugged. "Nothing but the usual. I have to go back there tomorrow to sign some papers for onboarding, and training starts the following Monday."

She nodded with what I hoped to be approval. She cut vigorously into an egg and stuffed it in her mouth, "Well, you better do good! If you don't, I'll just have to march down there and make sure you perform-" I was getting ready to throw a few chuckles into the conversation when I saw her face contort. I didn't figure out what was going on until I saw her hands reach for the tissues, but it was too late. It all happened so fast.

She sneezed on me.

Chewed up bits of bread and egg landed on me as if it were a shotgun buckshot. We both just sat there, staring at each other. She looked at me, and I at her; a moment I swore that was frozen in time. However, that moment came to a swift end when we burst into laughter. She got a tissue and started to scrape some of the culinary shrapnel off my shirt. "Why didn't you move?" She sniffled "You saw that was coming! Idiot!"

I tried to talk through some light chuckles, "Well, next time, get some better aim before you blast me."

"Oh whatever. _I_ still win."

Leave it to Haruhi to assert her dominance over someone; even when she's sick.

I sighed. "It's okay. I'll just change." I took off my shirt and grabbed another clean one from the drawer. I threw my shirt in the hamper in the corner of the room. I picked a light red t-shirt to throw on. As I had the shirt over my head, I turned around to find Haruhi staring at me as I changed. I gave her a sly look before I pulled the rest of my shirt down.

"Dummy", she pouted, "you're no fun. I just happened to be enjoying the view."

I walked over, "Well, maybe once you're better, I'll be able to do more than just put on a show." I remarked as I leaned in over her.

She grinned, "You better! After I kick this cold's butt, I'm gonna expect an enormous reward for my bravery in my time of peril and weakened state!" With that, she started to pull me in for a kiss. I, however, pulled away and dabbed some snot off her nose. An action that was not particularly met with kindness as she slapped me lightly on the head again. "Idiot. Just take the food away, I'm done eating. Just give me the remote and let me die."

That was a little dark, but alright. So long as she doesn't cause any rips in time or space, I'll just oblige. I started to walk out of the room but stopped in the doorway.

Wait a second.

That's right! Not only is Haruhi an extremely eccentric woman, but she also can control time and space subconsciously! I felt my chest tighten and my eyes go blurry for a second. I know it sounds crazy that that little fact would slip my mind, but she's honestly been doing really well lately. Koizumi keeps me up to date, saying there's only been one closed space in the last four months. I suppose she's been so preoccupied with family life while also taking care of the house that she hasn't had any time to get too much time to herself.

But If she's sick, and can't control _something_, what's going to happen to the universe? What's going to happen to _me?_

I must keep her subdued. Even if it's only just while the kids are gone. Normally she's just fine when she's around the kids, they're almost like a grounding wire for her to keep herself in check. On any typical day, she's usually busy alternating between taking care of our home and doing research for paranormal activities. Maybe I'll change the computer password, that'd be a riot to watch.

Scratch that. I want to live.

Today was a total fluke though. The house was clean, the kids were gone, and she was sick stuck watching TV in bed. But God only knows how long that will keep her occupied. Suddenly, I felt myself standing there staring at her with my mouth open; something that she took notice of, "Kyon! What are you doing just standing there? Is there more snot on my face? You better not lie to me either! If you do, you'll pay for it!"

I blinked and snapped myself out of it. In a panic, I tried to respond, "No, no! You're beautiful as ever!"

I saw her physically recoil as she raised an eyebrow at me. "Yeah…um…sure? Uh, Kyon, are you sure that you're not sick too?"

I shook my head. Dammit Haruhi! Even when you're sick, you're causing me anxiety. "No, I'm perfectly fine. I'm just gonna go do the dishes and clean up. Do you need anything else?" I felt myself sweating. Please, _please_ don't need anything else.

She tapped her index finger to her chin as she thought for a second. "No, like I said, I'm done eating. Just close the door if you're not coming back in. I might take a little nap if I feel tired." She pointed an accusatory finger at me, "And no waking me up like you did this past weekend! I'm still mad at you for that!"

I'll be cautious not to make that mistake again. I took a gamble on her being in the mood, and let's just say, the house won that bet. I guess after a full day of being busy, _that_ was not exactly on her mind. Of course, I knew she wasn't _really_ still mad at me - but, hey. You live and learn.

With that sobering thought in mind, I hurried out and closed the bedroom door behind me.

* * *

Soon after I left, I barricaded myself down in my study. Okay, maybe it was the guest room...I had to come up with a game plan. Haruhi hasn't really been this sick in years, so this really caught me off guard. While she was healthy, she was still human. I could handle her having a slight cough, or some allergy problems. But this was on a whole other level. I had to make a quick call to the one person who I knew could provide some kind of insight, even though I knew it would kill me. I picked up the phone and dialed.

"Hello?"

"Koizumi, it's Kyon."

"Oh! How are you doing? It's been quite a while."

Even over the phone I can hear his damn smile.

"I'm fine. Listen, we have a bit of a situation over here. Haruhi's sick."

"Oh my. Is she okay?"

"Not too sure right now. She's really stuffed up and the garbage can has a plastic bag in it, I can only assume that's for if she can't run to the bathroom in time."

"I see. It sounds pretty incapacitating. This could actually be a good thing."

"How the hell is this good?"

"Think of it this way. Haruhi only seems to create closed spaces when her mood is either depressed or angry. However, if she's sick, her body's tiredness will undoubtedly affect her mental processing, causing her natural velocity and mental pace to greatly reduce."

I sighed. He just had to be right again, didn't he? "So, I hear what you're saying, but what are you getting at?"

I heard him chuckle on the phone. "It's simple. Just take care of your wife while she's sick, and that should be enough. Did I really have to tell you that?"

Damn you, Koizumi. I'll get you back for that little jab at the end.

Just as I was mentally scolding him, I heard him perk up on the phone. "Oh my. Well, it appears that duty calls. I know I just told you about how her mental stability should remain at a slow pace, but she's still herself. A closed space has just appeared, albeit a small one by the sounds of the Organization. My colleagues and I will take care of it. I suggest that you should go, she may need you. Take care!"

With that, he hung up. I ended the call and shut my flip phone. I took a deep breath and plopped down on the guestroom bed. Great. So now there's closed spaces, even though she's sick. Wasn't that supposed to make them not appear? Well, then again, I guess it makes sense. Being sick makes nearly everyone miserable, so I guess a small one wasn't too much of a hassle.

* * *

Man, I forgot how bad it is when Haruhi was sick. I was stuck doing so many things for her today! First, I had to remake the bed. Why, you ask? Well, let's just say that breakfast didn't exactly sit well, and the garbage can was just out of reach.

Then, I had to brush her hair. I'm not sure why, seeing as how she isn't going anywhere and is completely incapacitated. She kept complaining that I was brushing too hard and that the tangles weren't coming out. She also seemed to complain that I was brushing too slowly; even though I was deliberately trying to go slowly so I could make it more enjoyable for her.

After that, I had to go and put a stand-up fan in the bedroom, because she said it was too hot. Then, about twenty minutes later, she called me up again to take it out, because then it was too cold. I asked her if I could just turn it off and leave it in there, but she told me that that was the "easy way out", then proceeded to lecture me on how just because I was married to her, doesn't get me out of my rank of the lowest standing brigade member.

I'm not sure why, but today felt like it was going...slow. Like, really slow. It seemed like I had been running around like a chicken with my head cut off for what seemed like hours. However, when I came downstairs, the clock read 9:49 AM. Shouldn't it be at least like...I don't know, 11 or something?

Anyway, I had just finished washing the leftover dishes from breakfast this morning. It didn't take much to do a few dishes, but for some reason it felt like agony. My hair was a mess, I was tired, and I just needed a break. Couldn't I just get a half hour to do nothing by myself?

My thoughts ran into a wall when I heard my lovely wife from upstairs. "Kyon! Can you come here?"

I sighed as I trudged up the stairs. I love Haruhi, I really do. But I'm not sure how much more I can take. I know it sounds like I'm complaining a lot. But, being at the constant demand for someone who can rewrite reality is a real pain sometimes. Wait, she didn't command me to come up there like she usually does. She actually asked.

What's going on?

I had no idea what Haruhi was planning, and frankly, I was afraid to find out. Normally whenever she acts nice and actually uses the manners she so often neglects, she's almost always up to something. My suspicions were confirmed when I walked upstairs; I found Haruhi lying in our bed on her belly on top of the covers.

Completely naked.

I had no idea what was going on. Just about forty minutes ago, she had me take the fan out of the room because it was too cold. Albeit again. However, because I'm a glutton for punishment, I thought I'd test the waters. "Oh, finally getting in the mood are we?"

She huffed a sickly huff of annoyance, "Pff, you wish. Look, I'm feeling really sore all of the sudden, and was wondering if you could...give me...a...massage." She said that last part a little quietly, and snorted some snot that was dripping from her nose. How appealing.

Normally when my wife wants a full body nude massage, I'd act without thinking. In fact, the times that she's wanted them in the past, I've done that very thing.

Alas, this time was different. Her features weren't nearly as stunning as they normally were. Her hair was once again a mess (despite my attempt at brushing it earlier), there was snot on the pillow, and I'm pretty sure I saw a sweat stain the size of Tokyo underneath where she was laying.

Haruhi slammed a hand down on our mattress. "Dammit, Kyon! Come on! I really need this! My back is killing me from coughing too much!"

I sighed. Through sickness and in health, right?

I walked through the door frame and closed the door behind me. I made my way over and slid carefully on top of her, being extra cautious not to put my full weight on her as I saw her cough into her hand. "Am I hurting you?"

She managed to break in between her wheezing, "No, you're fine." She continued to have another coughing fit and moaned in pain when it was over. Looking down, I actually really felt bad for her. For someone so used to being in control and having such a dominant personality, she sure was out of it.

I was getting ready to start rubbing her back, but she stopped me. "Kyon, before you start, would you mind getting that lotion that I like? It's in the living room."

I took a deep breath. Gotta keep it together.

"Sure. Do you need anything else while I'm down there?"

She shook her head. "Please hurry, my back is killing me."

I got up and walked out of the room. No sooner had I opened the door and started my decent downstairs my cell phone rang. "Hey Koizumi. What's going on?"

"Kyon, what just happened?"

"I'm not sure. I walked into my room to help Haruhi with something. Why, another closed space?"

"No, that's the issue. Normally, we'd have this small closed space taken care of, but for some reason, it almost seems like we've been working at this for hours upon hours."

"You know, that's strange, because I somehow feel like today has been dragging by as well. I looked at the clock a couple times today and couldn't help but feel like it should be later."

"Tell me: how many times have you attended to your wife?"

Oh great. Making me think of that on top of this? Way to be, Koizumi. "I have no idea. Five-ish or so? At least, in the last half hour."

"That should explain it. I've noticed that there could have been around five-; let's call them 'pauses', in our attempts to close down this particular closed space. Now, while this is not my area of expertise, I would venture an educated guess to say that every time you go into the room where Haruhi is, time itself comes to a halt."

What.

I looked back up the stairs towards to our room. "So, what, am I just not supposed to go up there and take care of her? That's a suicide mission!"

"No, I'm not saying that at all. Actually, I'd offer the opposite. Find out what's causing these time tremors. If it gets bad enough, the effects could be detrimental."

I sighed very hard into the phone. "Alright. I have to go back up there. Can you handle things for now?"

"Provided the time tremors don't happen when we're in combat, we should be fine. My associates and I will have to strategize briefly. Do you think you can wait ten minutes for us to come up with a plan? I'll call you when we're ready."

"Do I have a choice?"

"That's the spirit! I'll call you soon. Take care." With that, he hung up.

Great.

* * *

After about seven minutes, my anxiety started to kick in. I heard numerous calls from upstairs demanding where the hell I was, but I had to be crafty. I could only stretch the whole, "Where's the lotion bottle again?" So much before I knew I'd be in serious trouble.

What's more, Haruhi has stopped yelling at me from the top of the stairs.

At the eight-minute mark, my phone rang. "Hey. You're killing me here. Please, _please _tell me you guys are ready."

"Absolutely, everything should be in place. You're free to go take care of her now."

"Gee thanks for the permission."

I hung up and grabbed the lotion bottle that had been sitting next to me for the past fifteen minutes. I trudged back up the stairs; each step felt heavier than the last. I could only imagine the scolding I was going to get.

However, When I reached the room, I saw Haruhi under the blankets. She was shivering, and her eyes were tightly sealed. Wait...was she whimpering too?

I ran over to her and threw the lotion on the other side of the bed. "Haruhi, what happened?"

She opened her eyes briefly. "I-I don't know. I felt cold, and then my body just started cramping. I-I don't even have the energy to yell at you." She winced and whimpered in pain as she grabbed her back. My guess is from all the coughing she's been doing, combined with the fact that she's naked.

I helped her pull the covers down and put some sweatpants on her. I put some warm wool socks on her feet and kept the blanket on her lower half as I told her I'd massage her, but only if she stayed at least partially clothed. She agreed and let me get on top of her to start rubbing her down.

I straddled her carefully and put some lotion on my hands and made contact with her back. I heard a slight sigh escape her as I put some pressure into her muscles. She was still shivering quite a bit, but it had calmed down compared to when I came in. She laid there with her eyes closed for a while as I rubbed down her sickly body. Then, her eyes opened. She spoke softly, almost delicately, "Hey Kyon, who were you talking to downstairs? Was someone here?"

Crap! For as long as I've known Haruhi, I've always had trouble covering up my tracks when it came to lying to her about her true nature. "That was Koizumi. I just uh...had a question for him."

"What about?" Haruhi weakly grabbed a tissue and blew into it vigorously as I started to rub down her lower back near her tailbone.

"Oh, nothing. I just wanted his advice on a good soup to make."

She turned her head back to me as much as she could and narrowed her eyes at me. I suppose she figured it wasn't worth pushing, because her head plopped back down.. "Whatever. But it better be delicious!" She continued to wipe away at her nose.

Her weakened exclamation made me chuckle. "Please. You're so stuffed up that I bet I could feed you canned tuna and you'd never know."

She turned around and gave me a death glare. I knew for a fact that the only tuna she liked was sushi. I made a point to quickly recover though. "Here, let me get your neck."

I started to gently caress her neck and she slowly let her eyes drift into space. I saw a smile tug at the corners of her mouth as she laid her head back down on the pillow. Dammit Haruhi, why couldn't you be this adorable more often? It sure would make my life easier.

Once my hands found a rhythm, I started to daydream a little bit. I found myself able to take more notice to her features, since I was on top of her. Even though she was sick, she was still the same beautiful Haruhi I fell in love with. Her hair may have been messy, but it was still the same chocolate brown that I loved. She may have been tired and sore and upset, but I was still able to see that endless light of energy illuminating from her eyes. She may have been weary and in pain, but she still knew how to give it back to me and challenge me even when she was weak.

I stole a glance at the wedding ring on her finger. She was mine, and I was hers. We belonged to each other, and we belonged _together_. Without any warning, I suddenly felt all the memories of the past few years flood into my mind as my hands wandered on her upper body. I thought back to our dates in high school and in college, and how much fun we had. I thought of our first picnic date and how we tried to feed each other in the park. There were some weird looks from other people, sure; especially whenever I fell over and missed her mouth and got potato salad all over her skirt. But it was still a memory that I treasured.

I thought about the time I proposed to her. That was a story in and of itself. Somehow, without raising too much suspicion, I convinced her to come with me to the baseball field where she drew those signs on the field on Tanabata when she was a little girl. I remember her asking after a while what the real reason we were there was, and her reaction to seeing me kneel down on the pitcher's mound and looking up at her star-lit face as I got down on one knee and asked to make her my wife. I wasn't sure if I'd ever seen her cry before, but one thing is certain: she did then. And it was one of the most beautiful sights to behold.

My mind jumped to our wedding, and how gorgeous she looked in that dress. I never thought I'd be so entrapped by beauty more than I was when I saw her slowly marching down the aisle. Her father gave her a kiss on the cheek, and the ceremony went off without a hitch. We had to have a special family-sized box of tissues for Miss Asahina, as the water works she was letting through would have been enough to flood the church if we didn't keep her in check. My family were happy enough for me, but my little sister was absolutely elated to be a bride's maid. The dress Haruhi had worn was her mother's dress, and it looked nothing short of completely awe-inspiring. Her makeup was done with absolute every attention to detail accounted for, and her hair was like an enchanted forest of brown wavy locks. When she smiled at me and said, "I do" with joyful tears in her amber eyes, I seriously thought I'd died and went to Heaven.

In fact, I'd say the only time she was more beautiful than that was when she bore our children. Now, as one may imagine, Haruhi being pregnant two separate times was more than a handful, (thankfully, the first time acted as a test run of sorts, so I was much better equipped to handle the second time around). But on the days she gave birth to our children, I was there by her side as she held our kids in her arms for the first time. They may have been born two years apart, but each time she gave birth held the same amount of wonder and charm. Both times she was sweaty, tired, and filled with a cocktail of painkillers, but I remember the smile on her face as she held our babies. I wasn't sure how, but I somehow managed to fall even more in love with her than I thought was possible. And in that moment, I now knew that I had even more people to love.

It just doesn't get any more beautiful than that.

A lot of people have their own opinions on Haruhi. Sure, she had her moments where she was hard to be around. Sure, she could be bossy. Yes, she's sick, but all those memories of our past only remind me of why I married her. She was beautiful, plain and simple. Inside, and out.

Since I felt so inspired, I decided to take a daring move. I massaged her neck a little more, hitting all the sweet spots I knew she liked. I leant down and gave her small kisses on the back of her neck. With her being sick, the smell of congestion and sweat hit my nostrils, but it didn't bother me. I kissed Haruhi on her neck and trailed my hands down the curves of her perfect body. My fingernails lightly ran down her sides. Her hips bucked up a little, and I heard a little moan escape her lips. "Mmmm, Kyon, you keep this up, I'm gonna have to give you some extra special penalties later."

Oh yes. Yes please. These were the penalties I could take all day and all night long.

But, much to my disappointment, she fell asleep. I guess the massage coupled with the kissing really did the trick, because I could hear tiny snores. I couldn't help but smile as I saw her resting. I tucked some hair behind her ear and saw a little smile on her face. I got up ever so gently and placed the sheets and blanket over top of her to prevent her condition from getting worse.

I hurried downstairs and started to make dinner. I was determined to make the best soup I could make.

* * *

The next few hours seemed to fly by. Haruhi was feeling well enough after her nap to get a shower. She came out and tried to make herself something to eat, but I quickly protested. I sent her back up to bed after a quick kiss and told her that I had it under control. I made homemade chicken soup - no noodles. They soak up the broth way too quickly.

As I was adding the last of the seasonings, I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket. I quickly answered it in a hushed tone so Haruhi wouldn't hear. "Hey Koizumi, what's up?"

"Oh, are you busy? I'm sorry to disturb you, I won't keep you too long. I just wanted to congratulate you and thank you for helping me today."

"Help you? How?"

"Well, I'm not exactly sure what you did, but just a little while after our call this morning, the closed space suddenly shut down. It just disappeared without a trace – and there hasn't been anymore at all today. And, as an added bonus, time has not seemed to stop anymore."

"Well, that's good to know. I'm glad I could help."

"You know Kyon, I must say. I feel as if you still underestimate yourself."

"Oh really? How do you figure that one out?"

"Well, recall this morning. Haruhi hasn't been sick for quite some time, and you were dare I say in a panic about it. However, if I had my guess, you simply let your affections for her take over, and the rest worked itself out. Am I correct in making that assumption?"

I thought about what he said. "I suppose you're right. I do love her, after all."

"My point exactly."

For the first time in a long time, I smiled at what Koizumi said.

I glanced out the window and saw a school bus screech to a stop in front of my house. "Well, the kids are home from school, I guess I should get going."

"Talk to you later, Kyon."

After we hung up, my kids ran through the door as soon as I unlocked it. "Daddy!" they both yelled in unison. I picked them up and kissed them both, reveling in how it felt to have them home after such a long day. They took off their shoes and threw their backpacks down as they ran up the stairs to our bedroom. I distinctly heard two tiny voices yell out, "Mommy!"

I got up the stairs just in time to see Haruhi tickling both of our kids as they squirmed about in bed. She asked them how their day was, and they asked if she was feeling better. I stood in the door taking it in, marveling in the beauty that was my family.

Yeah, life was pretty good. Maybe Haruhi should get sick more often.

Okay, that was a joke.

* * *

I hope you enjoyed it! God bless and have a good one.


End file.
